Ignition for 8BA

1948F-1Pickup said:
Chevy distributors, for the purpose of our discussion here, are the same for small blocks and big blocks. GM ran that particular point-style distributor from 1955-1974, when they transitioned to the HEI distributor. They are virtually identical from 1965 or so all the way up to the transition.
I believe I recall the one I sent to Charlie for my 8BA was a 1974 truck distributor.
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I found out recently that early ones where cast iron. I didn’t know that, thought all where aluminum with a vacuum advance.

I wonder if Charlie can convert the corvette ones with the side tach drive?
 
Yes, Charlie can do tach drive Chevy's and Mallory's. Cast iron distributors...'57 to

early '60's are no problem either.
Charlie ny
 
36coupe said:
I found out recently that early ones where cast iron. I didn’t know that, thought all where aluminum with a vacuum advance.

I wonder if Charlie can convert the corvette ones with the side tach drive?
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Yes sir, cast iron was one of the main differences on the early ones.
Before GM obsoleted them, when I worked outside sales as a District Sales Manager for Delco I sold a ton of those tach drive housings to a local guy for boat and RV use. Those are pretty cool.
 
Gene1949 said:
When I built mine I turned down the shaft to mount a Chrysler reluctor and used a matching pickup coil, essentially converting into a very tunable electronic distributor.
Coupled with a GM HEI brain and later model "E" coil and you have a bulletproof maintenance free ignition with readily available parts.
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I've got similar on my '48 truck. Using an old Jacobs box for spark though.
 

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1948F-1Pickup said:
I've got similar on my '48 truck. Using an old Jacobs box for spark though.
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Great piece/nice looking craftmanship.

When I switched to a 4GC carb converting to a Chevrolet distributer with an electronic pickup made more sense than stick with points and unreliable or mismatched coils and ballast resisters.

My curve;
18* @ 1800 rpm total 22* @ 2400. 70mph @ 2650 rpm
12* @ 14" of vacuum. using manifold vac. That's about 2" under highway cruise vac @ 60mph.

Much of this curve was gleaned from the posts (here) of Bubba's ignition when he was racing and building distributers. (thankx Bubba, you were spot on).
 
Gene1949 said:
Quick question. Didn't the Jacobs box come out about the same time as the old Corvette CDI ignition??
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Don’t know about the Vette CD but the initial Jacobs “computer” box setup was done in partnership with another company…… Clifford-Jacobs started marketing it in 1976 or so.
The one in my truck Is the same design but long after Jacobs & Clifford parted company.
 
1948F-1Pickup said:
Don’t know about the Vette CD but the initial Jacobs “computer” box setup was done in partnership with another company…… Clifford-Jacobs started marketing it in 1976 or so.
The one in my truck Is the same design but long after Jacobs & Clifford parted company.
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The Corvette & Chevrolet passenger cars began offering "RPO K66" TI (Transister Ignition) during the 1964 production year. BUT....Pontiac initially offered it for their 1963 production year. DD

.
 
In my youth we always looked for the cast iron ones as they supposedly had a better advance curve. True or not I have no idea, but I'll bet Charlie would know...fact or fiction
 
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